


A Short Starbound Drabble

by FullSizeRender



Category: Starbound (Video Game)
Genre: Bonding, Conversation, Cute, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Human, Humor, Longing, Mostly talking, Robot Feels, Robot/Human Relationships, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Sentimental, Short & Sweet, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Sweet, glitch - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-03 21:06:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20459462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FullSizeRender/pseuds/FullSizeRender
Summary: I did an art trade with my spouse, so I'm holding up my end of the bargain by posting it here! Hopefully someone else will enjoy this as much as she did! :)





	A Short Starbound Drabble

“Did you bring any repair tools with you, Io?” Rinzler grunts, half-heartedly brushing dirt and dust off of his chassis. Each of the numerous lights that dot his frame pulse a cautious orange, illuminating the small patch dead grass where he had stopped to sit next to his companion.

“Chico insisted this one would be easy, so...no.” Io chuckles, sprawled out on the ground. After hours of walking - and stumbling - in the dark, she had made the executive decision to lay down a take a breather. “He calls everything easy. I think he’s a little too optimistic.”

“I've never trusted that bird's judgment. I watched him willingly eat a Toxictop once. The whole thing, stem and all. Said it was spicy.”

“First of all, ew. Second of all, how do you even know it tastes bad? Last I checked, you don’t even have a mouth.”

“I am very much aware, you remind me of the whole ‘lack of mouth’ detail a lot. You're keen on reminding me of how good your cooking is.”

Io chokes, her cheeks suddenly flush as passionate memories play themselves out in excruciating detail. The implicit sensuality of their interactions since they met sends shivers down her spine. Did she think she might’ve been coming on a little strong? Maybe. But after a relationship that had no flirting or spark of any kind, she chalked it up to being a bit out of practice.

“So…” Io clears her throat, skipping past Rinzler’s observation. “How long before everyone realizes something’s wrong and we get picked up off this rock?”

“Oh we could leave at any time. I’m a walking teleport beacon.”

“We could? Why didn’t you say so?” Io shoots up, a look of shock obscured by her pink-tinted visor. “Get us out of here. This place sucks. It’s dark, and the Agarans here think we’re demons or something. I’d rather tell the team we couldn’t do it than try to negotiate in their weird language again.”

“Because...since I have officially joined the crew we have hardly spent any meaningful time together. It’s always flirty remarks in the halls. Do not misunderstand though - flirting is fun, and I get that saving the universe is a full-time job, but...I would like to try something different.” He turns toward her slightly, LED faceplate flashing a pixelated smile as his cool metal hand comes to rest on the back of hers.

Io freezes, head jerking down to the point of contact then to Rinzler’s smiling face with a faint gasp. The prospect of being alone with Rinzler had crossed her mind most days - and nights - but she hadn’t thought to simply  _ ask _ to be alone with him. Their playful remarks and fun conversation showed a clear mutual interest, but being faced with exactly what she’s been looking for still leaves her speechless.

The orange pulsing on Rinzler’s chassis grows more frequent with each passing moment.

“Do you remember when we first met? My band was playing an underground show. I picked you out of the crowd immediately. You were the only human, after all.” Rinzler reminisces fondly. “You told me your story when our set was over.”

“Like I could ever forget that night! Listening to your music was the most fun I had in a long, long time!” She gushes, giddy with excitement. It’s a memory that she’s held close to her heart, on loop like a broken record. “You’re so humble, and you try to help people with your music. There weren't a lot of celebrities on earth that didn't have some ridiculous scandals in the tabloids, so it’s really nice to find an actually good famous person.”

“Your flattery is appreciated. However, I was asking because of something you specifically mentioned when I asked you about Earth.” Rinzler taps his temple, and a progress bar replaces the smiling face. It takes a second to load, but when the bar fills Io’s voice is played back to her.

“ _ What do I miss about Earth? Well...honestly, everything that I found down there I’ve found out here. Hm...oh! When I was a kid, I used to be able to climb onto the roof of my house and watch the sun rise. My mom hated it, thought I’d fall and break something. But it was so beautiful watching the world come to life, reminding me of just how huge the universe is...I wish I had a second to enjoy that again. _ ”

“...that’s right, yeah. She was right too, my mom. I went up there when winter came around and I slipped off, sprained my ankle. Heh.” Io’s wistful laugh gradually gives way to a somber sigh, and she finally breaks away from looking at Rinzler to stare at the sky. “Joining the crew’s had me working nonstop to keep the universe from sharing the same fate my home did. And yeah, it’s fulfilling, it’s a noble goal, it’s all that good stuff. But slowing down is nice too, y’know? A little time every now and then…”

“Is necessary to properly maintain your sanity. You biologics are held back by your requirement to take part in unproductive activities from time to time. It’s incredibly amusing to observe, as I struggle to do anything that doesn’t have an explicitly useful purpose. However, I'm learning to adapt.”

“That’s a really long-winded way of saying that I taught you to stop and enjoy life.”

“Ah damn, you're onto me.” Rinzler laughs heartily, and before long Io finds that his joy is too infectious to ignore. Before long their combined laughter fills an otherwise empty night, dispelling Io’s more somber thoughts.

“Well...maybe it _was_ a little long-winded, but I was killing time.” The Glitch gleefully states, a countdown appearing on his faceplate. It had been going in the background since they landed, and was down to 30 seconds.

“Oh yeah? What’s happening in thirty seconds?” She asks, only for Rinzler to simply point straight ahead.

Slowly but surely the sky begins to brighten, and a small gasp escapes her lips. A brilliant blue star creeps its way over the horizon, the planet’s surface steadily being revealed in pale blue light. Flowers unfurl their petals, grass stands on end, alien critters chirping and scampering out to celebrate the morning.

“I’m glad you did not catch on after I made you walk for hours. This plan would not have worked if you had been suspicious of me.”

“I’m so glad I didn’t…” She whispers breathlessly. The dawn of a new day, to have life placed back in perspective -  _ this _ is what they’re working to save. Earth might be gone, but the natural splendor of worlds like these can still be protected.

“Well, what do you think?” He asks slowly. “I can see that your heart rate has increased, but-”

“I think we need to fail missions more often.”


End file.
